Grinding Gear Games has revealed some of the new ascendancy classes that will be introduced in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt. Among them, the Smith of Kitava stands out due to its unique mechanics and unparalleled control over body armor modifications. If you want to optimize your build before Patch 0.2.0 launches, you have come to the right place.

Before we dive into the details, keep in mind that the Smith of Kitava benefits greatly from top-tier gear. If you want to ensure maximum damage and defense, be sure to visit our Path Of Exile 2 Currency Store to satisfy all your gearing needs.

The Smith of Kitava Overview

Unlike the other ascendancy classes in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt, the Smith of Kitava revolves around Smith's Masterwork, an ascendancy node that enables players to enhance normal rarity body armor with powerful modifiers. This ascendancy opens up an entirely new method of item customization and synergizes with various defensive and offensive strategies.

If you are unfamiliar with ascendancy nodes in Path of Exile 2, we have a comprehensive guide that explains how they work. For now, let's break down the Smith of Kitava's ascendancy nodes in detail.

Smith's Masterwork

At the center of the Smith of Kitava's ascendancy tree lies Smith's Masterwork. Unlike most ascendancy nodes, this one can be allocated freely without spending points. However, additional investment is required to unlock its unique modifiers.

Available Body Armor Modifiers

Below are the 12 exclusive modifiers that can be applied to body armor through Smith's Masterwork:

• Flowing Metal – +5% to Maximum Fire Resistance

• Molten Symbol – 25% of Physical damage from hits taken as Fire Damage

• Internal Layer – Hits against you have a 50% reduced Critical Damage bonus

• Leather Bindings – Regenerate 5% of Life per Second

• Lead Lining – +75% to Lightning Resistance

• Support Straps – 20% Increased Strength

• Kitavan Engraving – 15% Increased Maximum Life

• Heatproofing – Unaffected by Ignite

• Tantalum Alloy – +75% to Fire Resistance

• Heavy Bracing – 100% Increased Stun Threshold

• Padded Plates – +75% to Cold Resistance

• Dedicated to Kitava – Armor also applies to Chaos Damage Taken from Hits

These modifiers allow Smith of Kitava players to customize their defenses and optimize survivability through clever armor choices.

Best Modifiers for Survivability

• Flowing Metal raises maximum fire resistance, allowing characters to withstand more elemental damage.

• Kitavan Engraving provides a 15% life increase, making it one of the best choices for tanky builds.

• Internal Layer significantly reduces critical damage taken, protecting against burst damage from bosses and rare monsters.

Best Modifiers for Damage

• Support Straps increase Strength, which is crucial for Warrior builds.

• Molten Symbol converts a portion of physical fire damage, useful for mitigation strategies.

At this time, it remains unclear whether multiple modifiers can be applied to a single piece of armor. Additionally, Smith's Masterwork can only enhance normal rarity body armor, meaning players must work around gear upgrade restrictions.

Additional Ascendancy Nodes

Coal Stoker

This node strengthens elemental resistance mechanics. By increasing fire resistance, players also gain 50% of that value in cold and lightning resistance. For example, if your fire resistance is overcapped by 150%, you effectively gain 75% of your other elemental resistances.

Forged in Flame

A counterpart to Coal Stoker, this node applies maximum fire resistance values to maximum cold and lightning resistance as well. If a build reaches 90% maximum fire resistance, its other elemental resistances also cap at 90%.

This makes Smith of Kitava one of the tankiest ascendancy classes in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt, mitigating nearly all elemental damage with proper gearing.

Against the Anvil

One of the few ascendancy nodes in Path of Exile 2 that grants new active skills. This node provides the Temper Weapon skill, allowing players to imbue their weapons with additional properties.

While Grinding Gear Games has not yet disclosed the full list of weapon modifications, the potential to enhance weapon attributes mid-combat makes this a highly intriguing node for melee warriors.

Living Weapon

This node grants the Manifest Weapon skill, which creates a spectral copy of your equipped weapon to fight alongside you.

At this time, it is unclear if the Manifest Weapon minion is permanent or temporary. If it remains indefinitely, Smith of Kitava builds may benefit from support gems to further boost damage output.

Heat of the Forge

One of the most unique offensive nodes, this grants Fire Spell on Hit, allowing warriors to automatically trigger fire-based spells when struck.

If this node functions similarly to Cast When Damage Taken, it could create self-synergizing builds that focus on fire-based retaliation mechanics.

Final Thoughts on Smith of Kitava

The Smith of Kitava is shaping up to be one of the most resilient melee-focused ascendancies in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt. With a strong emphasis on body armor customization, elemental resistances, and weapon empowerment, this ascendancy is ideal for players who want to survive even the hardest encounters while maintaining high physical damage output.

Some of the most exciting features of this ascendancy include:

✅ Smith's Masterwork – Revolutionizes body armor crafting with powerful custom modifiers.

✅ Coal Stoker & Forged in Flame – Synergize to create near-unbreakable elemental resistance layers.

✅ Against the Anvil & Living Weapon – Introduce new melee-oriented skills that boost offense.

✅ Heat of the Forge – Grants fire spells on hit, opening the door for hybrid attack/caster builds.

With all of this in mind, we cannot wait to see how Smith of Kitava performs once Patch 0.2.0 goes live.

What are your thoughts on the Smith of Kitava ascendancy? Which nodes do you find most exciting? Let us know in the comments below!